Chronic kidney disease CKD and hepatitis C virus HCV infection are closely linked and both increase patient mortality. The association of HCV and risk of developing end-stage renal disease ESRD has not been analyzed with competing risk model.

Method

We enrolled a prospective cohort of 4,185 patients mean age, 62 years; 41% female registered in the CKD integrated care program at two affiliated hospitals of Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan between November 11, 2002 and May 31, 2009. With competing risk model, we analyzed the association of HCV infection, defined by seropositive of anti-HCV antibody, and hepatitis B virus HBV infection, defined by seropositive of HBV surface antigen, with the risk of entering ESRD.

Results

The prevalence of HCV infection was 7.6% and it increased with the CKD stages trend test, P<0.001, while the prevalence of HBV infection was 7.4% and no specific trend among CKD stages tend test, P = 0.1. During the 9,101 person-year follow-up period, there were 446 death and 1,205 patients entering ESRD. After adjusting death as the competing risk, the estimated 5-year cumulative incidence rate of ESRD among patients with and without HCV infection were 52.6% and 38.4%, respectively modified log-rank, P<0.001. Multivariable analysis showed that HCV infection, but not HBV infection, had higher risk of developing ESRD compared with cases without infection HCV, HR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.07–1.62; HBV, HR: 1.10, 95% CI: 0.89–1.35. Subgroup analyses showed consistent results.

Conclusions

With death-adjusted competing risk analysis, HCV infection is associated with an increased risk of developing ESRD in CKD cohort.